Wire-stretcher.



E. T. MORRIS.

WIRE'STRETCHER.

APPLICATION man JAN.23. 1914.

Patented June 8, 1915.

} UNITED sTATE-s PATENT OFFICE.

n vmnson r. MORRIS, OF'CONSTITUTICN, e310.

WIRE-STRE'ICHEIRJ miaaa To r177. whom it m/l concern a 1 Be it known that L Emansox, T. MORRIS, citizen of-the United States, residing at Constitution. in the :county of \Vashington and State-of ()hio,uha\e invented .certa'in new and useful Improvements inpW ire-Stretchers, of which the followingis .a specification. This invention relates to improvemen'tsin devices for stretching wire,..more particularly the strand wires of fences, and has for one of its @objects to simplify and improvetheconstruction and. increase the elli- --fence postsor other stationary supports ;..of

ciency and utility ofdevices of this characters *Another objectof-the invention-is to .vide-asin'iplv constructed device whichimay l e-"applied without structural change. to

varying sizes, and which may be readily applied to stretching the strand wires of' ordinary fences, fence webbing, chicken fencing and the like,-. without, structural change either'in thejdevice or in the fence material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simplyconstructed device which may be applied to posts or"oth'er stationary. supports at any point thereon and movable longitudinally of the post to adaptit to the dif- 1 ferent strand'wires or to difierent points.

Vith these and otherobjects in view the invention consists in certain novel features thewebbing at I of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claim; and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved device applied. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved'device includes a stock or bar 10 having a lateraloifset 11 at one end,

the latter being preferably oblique to the.

center of the lever being located in. aline-.

iiient with the (iflset 11 at an intermediate Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 8, 1915 F :Applicationfiled January 23, 1914., Serial no. 813.969. i

- point, as illustrated in. Fig, ob jectito be hereafter explained;

. The stud-12 is preferably provided with a ,stop collar .16. and with afsuitable holding device'such, as a cotter, pin lib-t0 retain the .;lever 15.v inepositiomwhile at the sametirne ipermittingvthe lever to befreely oscillated upon. the. stud.

Thestock 10 isprovidedwitha plurality hereafter. explained.

Connected in any..- suitab le ,inalinertothe -lever 15.at opposite sides ofits pivotal point are rods 202-1', the rods. terminating respectively in hooks 22*:23. The hookedirods are;- .mounted .to swing freely uponiheulever 15 as by links v2 t.25 and. are designed to engage .by their hooked terminals ;22 23.;in

the links of a pull chain 26, the linksof the chain being sufficiently open to rec eive the;

.with asuitable wire gripping-device represented conventionally: at 27., but as the grip device forms no .part ofthepresent inven- 'tion his not deemednecessary to further "describethe same. Vith a device .thusconstructed, the. operation.-' is': as follows :-IA...post .of suitable strength, for instance one of the posts of a :fence, represented conventionally at 32, is

selected to receive the stock 10 which is located with the offset 11 bearing against the post at one side thereof and the pin 19 thrust through one of the apertures 18 to bring the pin as closely as possible against the post at the opposite side. The stock 10 being formed of a flat bar and the Weight of the extension which carries the stud 12 being located a considerable distance from the post, forces the stud end-of the bar downwardly by gravity and thus firmly grips the post and anchors the device thereto and prevents the bar from slipping downwardly thereon. By providing a plurality of the apertures 18 it will be obvious that the pin 19 can be adjusted to enable the device to be adapted to posts of varying sizes. By this means the stock 10 may be gripped upon the 'post with sufficient strength to prevent it from moving downwardly upon the post, and to hold the body until the strain is applied. The wire 31 is then secured in the clip 27, as before described. The; lever arm 15 is then moved into its forward position and the hook terminal 22 of the rod 2O engaged with one of the links of. the chain 26, the latter being stretched as tightly as possible by hand. The lever arm-15 is then moved upon its ivot 12 toward the post 32 and thus app 'es strain upon the chain and the wire 31 supported thereby. When the strain is completed the-other hook 23 is coupled to the chain and the move-' i ment of'the lever reversed, which'movement.

will apply strain to the rod 21 whilethe rod 20 is released, By thus alternately moving the lever 15 upon its pivot and coupling the rods 20.-2l alternately with the chain it will;

be'obvious that a strong'strain will be applied to the wire 31, and this strain can be repeated for any required distance within the range of the length of the chain 26. The wire v31 will be stretched over a line of posts in the ordinary manner, and when the strain iscompleted: the wire will be con nected to the posts by-staples in the usual By forming the offset 11 at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of thes'tock 10 when the strain is applied the stock is drawn firmly against the supporting-post, and the tendency to lateral displacement obviated. This is an important feature of applicants device and materially increases Its efliciency and utility. Another advantage ained by the arrangement of the parts as s own is that the central line or the pull point of the lever 15 is in substantial alineQ- ment with the center of the post 32, so that j the pull is directlylin alinement with the lateral strain upon the post. The improved device is simple 1n concenter of the post, consequently there is no struction, can be inexpensively manufac 'tured'and applied and adapted't 0. Posts df vajrging sizes,' as before stated. avmg thus described the invention, what is'claimedas new is: i

In a device of the class described, termi;

nal transverse members and an intermediate transverse member, one of said terminal transverse members havlng a bearlng and connected 'at one end by a'longitudinalmernher to said intermediate transverse member and theother transverse member adapted to engage a stationary support at one side and connected at one end by a longitudinal mem her to' the; other end of the intermediate transverse member, a straininglever pivoted upon said bearing, and a holding member adjustably connected to the last'me'ntione'd longitudinal member and 'adapted to bear against theopposite' side of the stationary- 

